SMYRNA – Rutherford County's youngest county commissioner, Robert Stevens, will reach a milestone May 23 when he turns 30.

Elected at the tender age of 25, Stevens was fresh out of the University of Memphis School of Law in 2009 when he decided to run for a seat in Rutherford County's ruling body in the 2010 county general election.

Even at such a young age, Stevens was no stranger to the elected body or politics.

He started his political career in high school at Middle Tennessee Christian School after a chance assignment his junior year required for him to interview an elected official.

Stevens said he chose former Smyrna Mayor Robert Mullins for the assignment. Afterward Mullins invited Stevens to join his re-election campaign as a volunteer.

"I've been involved in politics ever since," Stevens said.

Getting young people involved in the political process is important to the future of our democracy, County Mayor Ernest Burgess said.

"I think it's very, very important for all of our citizens to have a desire to serve," Burgess said when asked his thoughts about Stevens.

Burgess said the county's future leaders are found in people like Stevens who have a desire to serve their communities.

He said young leaders bring a different perspective to the political process that is needed to guide the county into the future.

A graduate of Lipscomb University, Stevens' involvement included making public comments before County Commission meetings while he was still in high school.

Most of his comments regarded conflicts of interest and the budgeting process, he said.

These two topics have stayed at the top of his list since he won his own seat in the historic Courthouse. Stevens is known for speaking out about the use of tax money and how the commission operates.

"I don't like wasting my money, much less other people's," said Stevens, who described himself as a fiscal conservative.

One way he has tried to reduce the county's budget is by championing the use of technology.

He said the commissioners used to get stacks of paper an inch or two high right before each meeting. Now those documents are sent electronically to iPads for the commissioners to read beforehand and uploaded to the county's website for all citizens to read.

"We're in 2015 now. We need to operate like we are in 2015," said Stevens, who works in Smyrna as a lawyer, primarily working in estate and family law.

Stevens has also campaigned against other commissioners playing a role in redistricting after the 2010 U.S. Census.

"The commission doesn't need to redraw those lines. It needs to be the Election Commission or an independent group," he said.

As someone who watched process, Stevens said it was obvious that commissioners were trying to protect their seats rather than doing what was best for the county as a whole.

He said his desire to do good for the people he represents comes from Mullins, who taught Stevens the importance of being a servant to the community.